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December 29, 2015

I'm Certain About That....

[Image: Severn River Bridge, Annapolis, MD, Feb. 2105]

It has been a little while since I last posted. A few folks have noticed and graciously indicated they would like to see some more, so here goes.

A biography of Bernard of Clairvaux has been sitting on my shelves for several years and I have just never quite got around to reading it. Bernard may be most well known among Evangelical Christians for his superb lyrics in the hymn "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee." (note: not everyone agrees he actually wrote the words but the sentiments are derived from him if not) I knew a bit about him through my readings in Christian history and I knew that he, like his general contemporary Anselm, were sincere monks who preferred the contemplative life but were, as you might say, continually being dragged into the wider political events of the time, mostly because of their sheer competence. Bernard, in his earliest years, was made an abbot of Citeaux and was called upon by various popes for assistance. One of his theological tensions was his own life. He taught the monks under him that their spiritual life should be one of "stay at home" in the monastery and yet he was continuously being called to travel to help other people in various crises. I'm only just getting into the book but it has some promise.

In one of the opening chapters the author (G. R. Evans) writes of Bernard's concern for "certainty." That's a subject that has long been close to my heart because it is under so much attack today. "Certainty" today, as it was in seminal form in Bernard's day, is viewed negatively rather than positively by a broad spectrum of people across the entire nation. Even in conservative Evangelicalism this negative view or suspicion is not only present, it is broadly promoted. You hear it whenever you hear the phrase: "Doctrine Divides, Love Unites." At the heart of this view is the idea that doctrine must not be held with "certainty." To be "certain" about something involves a particular commitment to that thing. In an age where "toleration" and "diversity" is promoted as virtually the "highest good", it is thought that such toleration should extend not only to accepting people of various racial characteristics but, also, of accepting the variety of philosophical and religious views that are in the social mix also. As it is not only unseemly, but is now a crime, to speak negatively of another person's race or gender or sexual orientation, it is increasingly politically incorrect to condemn other world views also.

At the heart of this trend, as it was in Bernard's day, is skepticism ascendant. The very fact that there are different views, even within Christianity, of what the Bible teaches, has bred a skeptical idea that none, or few, of the various views can be held "certainly." This is very evident in the movement toward minimalism in creedal formulations. Even churches with formal ties to such broad ranging creeds as the Westminster Confession of Faith, such as my own Presbyterian Church in America, are increasingly experiencing this trend. The gap between the social culture in this country and the world of strong and comprehensive creedal Christianity is so marked that many church planters and pastors believe that mission, evangelism and even community are not possible if strong positions are taken concerning secondary doctrines (defined as any doctrine which is not "vital" to salvation). What strikes me as interesting is that Bernard saw just such a problem arising out of the rise of the "schools" of his day as evidenced in the teachings of Abelard.

Bernard's position, which is close to my own, is that "certainty" is inherent in the faith act. One may have "opinions" about which one is not "certain" and thus one acts provisionally based on those opinions, e.g. an opinion about a certain politician being better suited to an office than another. But such "opinions" should not be confused with "faith." Faith has more to do with realizing that some proposition IS TRUE! It is the "certainty" of this thought that is transformative of human life. If a person is not "certain" about an article of faith then one will not embrace it whole-heartedly and their faith walk will be hesitant and weak. Thus, in my opinion as well as Bernard's, it is the duty of the Church to awaken its people to the "certainty" of that which the Scriptures proclaim to be true. This requires study and the broad compass of scriptural instruction is not quickly digested. But the growth in "certainty" is, to my mind, always the foundation for growth in Christian piety, boldness, perseverance and proclamation.

Still we are told that "certainty" in a "few things" is surely the pathway for unity and thus broader acceptance and thus wider influence in the world. There might be some truth to that if the Scriptures allowed it but such is not the case. At the heart of the Christian faith is the fact that it is a "received" religion. It is passed down and relearned in every age through the instrument of the inerrant and infallible Word of God. At the heart of this Word of God is His Sovereign rights and privileges over the entire scope of man's endeavor, conversation and allegiance. He lays claim to our love as His right and He claims our obedience as a fruit of that love. And throughout Scripture, it is toward the fullness of Christian piety, a life dedicated to God, that one is to pursue and be sanctified and grow in piety. His Word speaks to every aspect of human existence and calls for responsive obedience in each. Thus, any minimalist Christian set of beliefs must start with the claim that the Bible is "True" and this claim must be held "certainly." However, if this claim is held "certainly" it will not allow that certainty to be limited only to a minimalist set of propositions. (This is inherent in the idea that God's relationship to man is covenantal in character, but that is for another topic.)

Bernard saw this quite clearly and his hunger for warmth of love and devotion to God inevitably had corollaries throughout the range of human endeavor. Though a celibate monk, he clearly saw that the lay life of the ordinary Christians were just as much a Christian "calling" as was the cloister. He called upon the lay people who sat under his sermons, to hear what God's word said about their buying and selling, their marriages, their call to arms when necessary or their resistance to superiors who called them to obey orders which were counter to Scripture. He had a very high view of a developed Christian Conscience and believed that this was a product of a devoted Christian life in whatever vocation a person pursued.

All of this fundamental, practical, pastoral theology is founded on the necessity of "certainty". "Certainty" may start small, when a person is only being fed milk, but the movement to "strong meat" is inevitable when "certainty" in the basics necessarily expands the Christian consciousness to worshiping the God who is "in all and over all" things.

Perhaps the reason why the gap in our society between the committed Christian community and the cynical culture about us, is not because we are "certain" but because we are not "certain" enough. If we were then we wouldn't be so lukewarm... and though the culture may not flock to us right away, they would "certainly" be more respectful.